JPH0357005B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Purpose of the Invention (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention is based on the invention in which a plurality of cans (works to be loaded) containing various industrial chemical products such as paints, detergents, oils and fats are arranged as shown in Figs. As shown, the present invention relates to a pallet loading device that stacks items three-dimensionally on pallets.

(Prior art and problems to be solved by the invention) In the past, various devices for automatically loading workpieces onto pallets have been proposed and many have been put into practical use. No device has been developed that identifies the type of work to be loaded and automatically loads the work on a pallet in multiple stages.

Structure of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of this application includes a pallet supply section, a mounting member for mounting the supplied pallets, and a mounting member for mounting the pallets. A carry-in mechanism that carries in a predetermined number of workpieces to be loaded in a straight line in the vicinity of the member, a workpiece identification sensor that identifies the type of workpiece by not detecting the loaded workpieces, and a workpiece identification sensor that corresponds to the action of the workpiece identification sensor. , a counting sensor that detects the number of the loaded workpieces and regulates the operation of the carry-in mechanism when a predetermined set value is reached; a gripping mechanism that can grip and release each of the workpieces; a horizontal movement mechanism that horizontally moves the placement member reciprocally to a plurality of row positions in a direction perpendicular to the carrying-in direction of the work in response to the action of the counting sensor; and a moving surface of a gripping mechanism for the placement member. It is equipped with an elevating and lowering mechanism that raises and lowers in multiple stages between the original position on the lower side and multiple stages above.

Further, in the second invention of this application, the first invention
In addition to the configuration of the invention, there is provided a carry-out mechanism for laterally carrying out the pallet on the placement member placed at the original position.

Furthermore, in a third invention of this application, in addition to the configuration of the first invention, the gripping mechanism is composed of an upper gripping member that grips the top surface of the workpiece, and a side gripping member that grips the side surface of the workpiece. , both gripping members are selectively operated depending on the shape of the workpiece identified by the identification sensor.

To explain the effects of each of the above-mentioned inventions, in the first invention, first, as shown in FIG. The workpiece W is carried in as the mechanism 7 operates. At this time, the workpiece identification sensor 15 identifies the type of workpiece W by detecting and not detecting the loaded workpiece W, and based on the identification signal, the counting sensor 14 detects the number of the loaded workpieces W according to the setting of the loaded workpiece. When the numerical value is reached, the operation of the carry-in mechanism 7 is temporarily stopped, and the works W are gripped by the gripping mechanism 26 as shown in FIG. Subsequently, as shown in FIG.
7 is raised to the first stacking position, and at the same time the second
As shown in the figure, along with the operation of the horizontal movement mechanism 35, the workpieces W are transferred together with the gripping mechanism 26 to the position where one row of pallets P are stacked on the mounting member 17, and at that position, the gripping mechanism 26 is released and released. The work W in the column is placed on the pallet P. Thereafter, the gripping mechanism 26 is returned to its original position, grips the second row of workpieces W that have already been carried in, and is horizontally transferred to the two-row stacking position. In this way, as shown in FIG. 9, the workpieces W are sequentially placed on the lowermost rows of the pallet P. When the first stacking operation is completed, the placing member 17 is raised to the second stacking position by the operation of the lifting mechanism 22 as shown in FIG.
Workpieces W are stacked at positions in multiple rows. Therefore, by repeating the stacking and row stacking operations according to the desired number of stages, a large number of workpieces W to be loaded can be placed on the pallet P as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.
are stacked three-dimensionally.

Further, in the second invention, as shown in FIG.
As the pallet P is operated, it is carried out to the side, and the pallet P can be easily taken out by a forklift or the like at the carried out position.

Furthermore, in the third invention, as shown in FIG. 5, the gripping mechanism 26 is composed of the upper gripping member 30 and the side gripping members 31, so that the side surface is curved, as in the case of, for example, a round paint can. In the case of the loaded workpiece W1, the above-mentioned gripping member 3
0 is actuated to grip the upper surface of the workpiece to be loaded W1, and in the case of a workpiece to be loaded W2 with flat sides such as a square paint can, the side gripping member 31 is actuated to grip the upper surface of the workpiece to be loaded W1. Grip the side of the loaded workpiece W2. In this way, both the gripping members 30 and 31 operate selectively depending on the shape of the workpiece W identified by the identification sensor 15. Therefore, one gripping mechanism 2
6. Two types of loaded workpieces W with different shapes
1 and W2 can be loaded reliably.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example in which the present invention is embodied in a pallet loading device for loading paint cans will be described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a pallet supply section, inside which a plurality of pallets P are stacked and held in place by a plurality of locking pawls 3 provided on a rotating shaft 2 at the lower end. A supply cylinder 4 for opening and closing the locking pawl 3 is connected to one end of the rotation shaft 2. 5 is an empty pallet detection sensor.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, a carry-in mechanism 7 is disposed at the lower rear of the pallet supply section 1. As shown in FIGS. The carry-in mechanism 7 includes a roller conveyor 8 extending from the paint factory, a chain conveyor 9 continuous with the roller conveyor 8,
It consists of a support stand 11 that is driven up and down by a push-up cylinder 10 within the chain conveyor 9. Further, a positioning cylinder 12 is installed near the end of the chain conveyor 9, and a positioning plate 13 is attached to the tip of the piston rod. As shown in FIG. 6, at the time of carrying in, the positioning plate 13 is placed in the protruding position by the operation of the positioning cylinder 12, and the loaded works W1, W2 containing paint transported from the paint factory on the roller conveyor 8. are transferred onto the chain conveyor 9, and a predetermined number of works W1 and W2 are carried onto the support stand 11 in a straight line while being positioned by a positioning plate 13. Note that 14 shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 is a counting sensor that detects the number of works W and stops the operation of the chain conveyor 9 and the carrying-in operation by the roller conveyor 8 when the value reaches a predetermined number. In addition, 15 is an identification sensor that, as shown in Fig. 6, identifies a round workpiece W1 with a low height as a round workpiece 1 without detecting it, and identifies a round workpiece W1 with a high height as a rectangular workpiece W1 without detecting it. In the case of the workpiece W2, it is detected and identified as the square workpiece W2. That is, as described above, the identification sensor 15 identifies the type of workpiece W based on the difference in height between the two works W1 and W2, and thereby switches the set numerical value of the counting sensor 14.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 8, 10, and 12, a plate-shaped mounting member 17 is disposed below the pallet supply section 1 in front of the carrying-in mechanism 7, and a plurality of rollers 18 provided thereon are arranged. This allows the pallets P supplied from the pallet supply section 1 to be placed so as to be movable left and right. This mounting member 1
7 and the excavated floor surface 19 is a lifting cylinder 2.
An elevating mechanism 22 consisting of a movable arm 21 and a movable arm 21 is interposed. Then, the elevating cinder 20
Due to the vertical expansion and contraction movement of the movable arm 21 accompanying the operation of , the mounting member 17 is moved to the original position shown in FIG. It is arranged so that it can be moved up and down to the pallet receiving position shown in the figure. The amount of protrusion of the lifting cylinder 20 is controlled based on signals from a plurality of sensors (not shown) that detect the positions of the mounting member 17 at each stage, and the amount of protrusion of the lifting cylinder 20 at a plurality of levels is controlled. Accordingly, the mounting member 17 is stopped and held at each of the above positions. Also, 1st, 1st
Reference numeral 23 shown in FIG. 2 is a supply operation sensor that detects the mounting member 17 placed at the pallet receiving position. Based on the detection signal from the sensor 23, the supply cylinder 4 is moved in and out, and accordingly, the The locking pawl 3 is opened and closed so that the lowermost pallet P of the pallet supply section 1 is placed on the mounting member 17.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, a gripping mechanism 2
6 is equipped. This gripping mechanism 26
A support body 29 is horizontally movable in the front and back direction by rollers 28 supported by guide rails 27 of No. an upper gripping member 30;
A plurality of side grip members 31 (five in this embodiment) are arranged in rows on the left and right on the front side of the rear wall of the support body 29. Each gripping member 30, 31 consists of a suction cup connected to a suction device (not shown), and both gripping members 30, 31 have a cylinder 32 for moving them between a gripping position and a retracted position.
are installed on each. As shown in FIG. 7, each upper gripping member 30 grips the upper surface of the round workpiece W1 placed on the support stand 11 at the raised position in the carrying mechanism 7, and each side gripping member 3
1 is adapted to grip the rear side of a square workpiece W2, as shown in FIG. Note that 33 shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 is an auxiliary support body disposed below each side gripping member 31, which holds the square work W2 in an upright state.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 9, the gripping mechanism 2
A gripping mechanism 26 is placed between the support body 29 of No. 6 and the column 25, and the workpiece W is placed above the mounting member 17.
A horizontal movement mechanism 35 is installed for reciprocating horizontal movement in a plurality of rows in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the carrying direction. The horizontal movement mechanism 35 includes a motor 36 installed on the upper surface of the support 29, and a drive shaft 38 driven by the motor 36 and having pinions 37 at both ends.
and a pair of racks 39, which are provided so as to extend back and forth along the upper surfaces of both supports 25, and with which the pinion 37 meshes. Furthermore, as shown in FIG.
A plurality of (three in this embodiment) round workpiece detection sensors 40 are arranged corresponding to the arrangement positions of the round workpieces W1 loaded on the mounting member 17. A plurality of (four in this embodiment) square workpiece detection sensors 41 are arranged corresponding to the array positions of the square workpieces W2. Further, an original position detection sensor 42 is provided at an upper position corresponding to the carry-in mechanism 7. When the motor 36 is driven, the support body 29 is moved between the original position corresponding to the upper part of the carry-in mechanism 7 and the plurality of rows of mounting positions corresponding to the arrangement positions of the respective workpiece detection sensors 40 and 41. It is designed to be moved horizontally in both directions.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 11, on the floor to the side of the mounting member 17 placed at the original position, there is a pallet P that has been placed on the mounting member 17.
An unloading mechanism 44 is disposed for laterally unloading. This unloading mechanism 44 has an unloading cylinder 45
and a pair of front and rear roller conveyors 46 provided on the opposite side. Note that 47 shown in FIG. 1 is a sensor for confirming an empty pallet, and 48 is a sensor for confirming the original position of the mounting member 17.

Next, the operation of the pallet loading device constructed as above will be explained. Now, FIG. 1 shows the state at the start of operation in which the pallet P is placed on the placing member 17 placed at the original position. When the power switch is turned on in this state, the positioning cylinder 12 in the carry-in mechanism 7 is operated and the positioning plate 13 is operated as shown in FIG.
is placed in the protruding position. At the same time, the chain conveyor 9 is driven, and the works W conveyed along the roller conveyor 8 are sequentially placed on the support table 11. At this time, if the carried-in workpiece W is a round workpiece W1 with a low height, the workpiece identification sensor 15 does not perform a detection operation, so that it is identified as a round workpiece W1, and the counting sensor 14 detects the round workpiece W1.
The number of round workpieces W1 is counted, and at that point, the operation of the chain conveyor 9 is stopped, and
The positioning cylinder 12 is retracted. or,
When the carried-in workpiece W is a square workpiece W2,
The workpiece identification sensor 15 performs a detection operation, the counting sensor 14 counts five square workpieces W2, and at that point, the operations of the chain conveyor 9 and the positioning cylinder 12 are stopped.
In addition, in the following operation explanation, the round workpiece W1
This section describes the loading operation.

When a predetermined number of workpieces W are placed on the support stand 11 in the carry-in mechanism 7, the push-up cylinder 10 is operated to protrude as shown in FIG. 7 in response to the detection signal of the counting sensor 14, and the round shape The support stand 11 is raised so that the upper surface of the workpiece W1 reaches a position directly below the upper gripping member 30 in the gripping mechanism 26. Next, when the fixed position detection sensor (not shown) detects that the round workpiece W1 is in the gripping position, the cylinder 32 is moved as shown by the chain line in FIG.
With the operation, the upper gripping members 30 are projected downward, and each upper gripping member 30 holds the round workpiece W1.
The top surface of is gripped by suction. Thereafter, the push-up cylinder 10 is activated and the support base 11 is lowered toward the original position.

Subsequently, the motor 36 of the horizontal movement mechanism 35 is activated, and the support body 29 is horizontally moved to the front row position with the upper gripping member 30 gripping the round workpiece W1, as shown in FIG. In synchronization with this, the 8th
As shown in the figure, the lifting cylinder 20 in the lifting mechanism 22 is operated to protrude by a predetermined amount, and the movable arm 2
1, the mounting member 17 is raised to the first stacking position, and the pallet P is placed close to the lower surface of the round workpiece W1. In this state, the suction operation of each upper gripping member 30 is stopped, and the cylinder 32 is retracted to place each upper gripping member 30 at a standby position shown by a chain line in the figure.
As a result, each round workpiece W1 is held by the upper gripping member 30.
It is released from the pallet P and placed on the pallet P.

Thereafter, as the lifting cylinder 20 is retracted, the mounting member 17 is lowered to the original position shown in FIG. Will be reinstated. Note that during the one-row stacking operation described above, in the carrying-in mechanism 7, the round-shaped works W1 for the second row are arranged on the support stand 11 in the same manner as described above.

Subsequently, the above-mentioned loading operation in the row direction is performed at multiple row positions corresponding to the arrangement positions of the round workpiece detection sensors 40, and as shown in FIG. The round work W1 is placed in an orderly manner.

In this manner, when the first stage workpiece loading operation is completed, the placing member 17 is raised to the second stage stacking position by the protruding operation of the lifting cylinder 20, as shown in FIG. A second round workpiece W1 is loaded on top of the round workpiece W1. During this two-tier stacking, the same stacking operation in the column direction as described above is repeated in sequence, and the 12 round-shaped works W1 are stacked in an orderly manner on the second tier of the pallet P.

After that, the 3-tier stacking operation is completed in the same way.
When a total of 36 round workpieces W1 are loaded onto the pallet P as shown in FIG. 3, the unloading cylinder 45 in the unloading mechanism 44 is operated to protrude as shown in FIG. It is pushed out laterally from above the member 17 and carried out onto the roller conveyor 46. Therefore, at this unloading position, the pallet P loaded with the round work W1 can be easily transported by a forklift or the like.

In this way, when one pallet loading operation is completed, it is confirmed by the empty pallet confirmation sensor 47 that there is no pallet P on the mounting member 17,
As shown in FIG. 12, the lifting cylinder 20 is operated to project at its maximum stroke, and the placing member 17 is raised to the pallet receiving position. When the position is detected by the supply operation sensor 23, the supply cylinder 4 in the pallet supply section 1
is activated to open the gripping pawl 3, and after the lowermost pallet P is placed on the mounting member 17, the locking pawl 3 is immediately closed and the next pallet P is locked and held. Next, the mounting member 1 on which the pallet P is placed
7 is returned to the original position shown in FIG. 1, and by repeating the above-described operation, the loading operation of the round work W1 on the new pallet P is continued. In the above description of the operation, the loading operation of the round workpiece W1 was explained, but in the case of the square workpiece W2, each mechanism is operated in the same manner as described above, and as shown in FIG. piece 4
A total of 60 square workpieces W2 arranged in three rows are stacked in an orderly manner.

Effects As detailed above, according to the first invention of this application, the workpiece identification sensor identifies the type of the loaded workpieces that are sequentially carried in from the carrying mechanism, and the counting sensor responds to the identification signal to support the workpieces. The number of workpieces to be loaded that are lined up in a straight line on the table is detected, and when the number reaches a preset value for each type of workpiece, the operation of the loading mechanism is temporarily stopped, and the number of workpieces that are lined up is temporarily stopped. The gripping mechanism grips the workpieces, and the horizontal movement mechanism moves the gripping mechanism above the mounting member. Therefore, the number of workpieces to be loaded on the pallet can be automatically controlled depending on the shape of the workpieces to be loaded, and the workpieces can be loaded in an orderly manner. In addition, there is a gripping mechanism that can handle a large number of loaded workpieces carried in from the carrying mechanism.
Due to the coordinated operation of the horizontal movement mechanism and lifting mechanism, it is possible to load quickly, and it has the excellent effect of automating the loading process of paint cans in paint factories, etc., eliminating heavy labor and realizing labor savings. .

Further, according to the second invention of this application, the loaded pallets on the loading member placed at the original position are carried out to the side by the carrying-out mechanism, so in addition to the effect of the first invention, the forklift This has the effect that the pallets that have been carried out can be easily carried out.

Furthermore, according to the third aspect of the present application, since the gripping mechanism is composed of an upper gripping member and a side gripping member, both the gripping members can be selectively operated for loaded works having different shapes, and the gripping mechanism can be reliably operated. Since it can be gripped, there is an effect that two types of loaded workpieces can be processed with one device.

In addition, in the embodiment of this invention, since the pallet supply section is placed above the placement member,
The entire device can be configured compactly,
It becomes possible to measure the effective use of factory space.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a front view of a pallet loading device showing an embodiment embodying the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which round workpieces are loaded, and Fig. 4 is a corner view. FIG. 5 is a side view of the main parts showing the gripping mechanism, FIG. 6 is a front view showing the loading mechanism, and FIG. 7 is a front view showing the workpiece being gripped by the gripping mechanism. Figure 8 is a front view showing the single-tier stacking action, Figure 9 is a plan view showing the completion of the first-tier stacking action, Figure 10 is a front view showing the two-tier stacking action, and Figure 11 is the unloading action. FIG. 12 is a front view showing the pallet receiving function. In the figure, 1 is a pallet supply section, 7 is a carry-in mechanism, 17 is a placing member, 22 is a lifting mechanism, 26 is a gripping mechanism, 30 is an upper gripping member, 31 is a side gripping member, 35 is a horizontal movement mechanism, and 44 is a In the unloading mechanism, P is a pallet, W1 is a round workpiece, and W2 is a square workpiece.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pallet supply section 1 and a mounting member 17 on which the supplied pallets P are mounted.
a carry-in mechanism 7 that arranges and carries in a predetermined number of workpieces W to be loaded in a straight line near the mounting member 17; and a workpiece identification device that identifies the type of workpiece W by detecting and not detecting the workpieces W to be loaded. a sensor 15; a counting sensor 14 that corresponds to the action of the work identification sensor 15, detects the number of the loaded works W, and regulates the operation of the carry-in mechanism 7 when a predetermined set value is reached; Gripping mechanism 2 capable of gripping and releasing the workpiece W
6, and a horizontal movement mechanism for horizontally reciprocating the gripping mechanism 26 above the mounting member 17 in a direction perpendicular to the carrying-in direction of the workpiece W to a plurality of row positions in response to the action of the counting sensor 14. 35
and an elevating mechanism 22 that raises and lowers the mounting member 17 in multiple stages between its original position below the moving surface of the gripping mechanism 26 and a plurality of positions above. Loading device. 2. The pallet loading device according to claim 1, wherein the pallet supply section 1 is arranged above the mounting member 17. 3 Pallet supply unit 1 and mounting member 17 on which the supplied pallets P are placed
a carry-in mechanism 7 for arranging and carrying in a predetermined number of workpieces W to be loaded in a straight line in the vicinity of the mounting member 17; a counting sensor 14 that temporarily stops the carrying-in operation of the carrying-in mechanism 7; and a counting sensor 1 that detects the loaded workpiece W and identifies the type of the workpiece W by not detecting it;
a workpiece identification sensor 15 that switches a preset value for each type of workpiece W; a gripping mechanism 26 capable of gripping and releasing each workpiece W; a horizontal movement mechanism 35 that reciprocates horizontally to a plurality of row positions in response to the action of the counting sensor 14 in a direction perpendicular to the carrying direction;
and an elevating mechanism 22 that raises and lowers the mounting member 17 in multiple stages between an original position below the moving surface of the gripping mechanism 26 and multiple positions above the original position, and a front part located at the original position. A pallet loading device characterized by comprising an unloading mechanism 44 for laterally unloading the pallet P on the writing member 17. 4 Pallet supply unit 1 and mounting member 17 on which the supplied pallets P are placed
a carry-in mechanism 7 for arranging and carrying in a predetermined number of workpieces W to be loaded in a straight line in the vicinity of the mounting member 17; a counting sensor 14 that temporarily stops the carrying-in operation of the carrying-in mechanism 7; and a counting sensor 1 that detects the loaded workpiece W and identifies the type of the workpiece W by not detecting it;
a workpiece identification sensor 15 that switches a preset value for each type of workpiece W; a gripping mechanism 26 capable of gripping and releasing each workpiece W; a horizontal movement mechanism 35 for reciprocating and horizontally moving the mounting member 17 to a plurality of row positions in response to the action of the sensor 14 in a direction perpendicular to the carrying direction of the holding member 17; and a lifting mechanism 22 that raises and lowers the gripping mechanism 26 in multiple stages between the upper and lower positions, and the gripping mechanism 26 includes an upper gripping member 30 that grips the upper surface of the workpiece W, and an upper gripping member 30 that grips the side surface of the workpiece W. and a side gripping member 31, and is characterized in that both gripping members 30, 31 are selectively operated according to the shape of the workpiece W identified by the identification sensor 15.